Macron places blame on vulnerable parents and social media over French riots

Emmanuel Macron delivered a TV interview for the first time since the riots (Image: GETTY) French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that part of the blame for the widespread violence that followed the shooting by a police officer of Nahel, a 17-year-old of Algerian background, should be placed on poor parenting and social media. In his first televised interview since the unrest, Mr Macron condemned the “indescribable violence” that happened in the streets all over the country and, on one night, even spilt over in Brussels . Without acknowledging concerns shared by rights groups and the left that the extremely violent riots, during which a 27-year-old man died after being hit by a projectile, may reflect a failure in addressing the segregation of poor estates and concerns of discrimination in law enforcement, France ‘s president said the country needed more law and order. He said: “The lesson I draw from this is: order, order, order.” Repeating claims he made in early July, Mr Macron also suggested families with single parents or from low income contributed to having teenagers reportedly as young as 13 taking to the streets during the riots. Some 4,000 people were arrested as a result of the riots (Image: GETTY) Appearing on TF1 and France 2 channels, he said: “An overwhelming majority have a fragile family framework, either because they come from a single-parent family or their family is on child support benefits.” Mr Macron, who was speaking from a French territory in the South Pacific, New Caledonia, said his government will launch in autumn policies to focus on parenting skills and supporting families. Social media were also once again the targets of Mr Macron, as he said: “We need to better protect our teenagers and young adults from screens.” Social media platforms should remove certain content when it was a call to violence, the president said. The police officer who shot Nahel has been charged with voluntary homicide and has been jailed while awaiting trial. The six days of riots saw the burning of thousands of cars as well as schools, police stations, town halls and even private homes being damaged and an attack on a mayor’s residence. Some 4,000 people were arrested, including several minors with no criminal records. Mr Macron’s presidency, which began in 2017, has been plagued with protests, which at times plunged the country into violence. Several times between 2018 and 2019, the Yellow Vest  anti-government movement brought France to a standstill lamenting, among other issues, a planned rise in the tax on diesel and petrol. In March, the French government’s decision to raise the pension age to 64 was met with widespread protests and riots in the streets. His interview was meant to mark a 100-day period which he started in April with the aim to assess his government’s work.